Is the LGBT+ community something that you (mostly) experience online or irl/offline?

[Guest]

Hope this was the right place to put this in. It can be moved if so needed. Not sure if this question has been asked recently. 😬

 

So,... some of you may know that I'm feeling quite unsafe with being known as someone under the rainbow irl. To me LGBT+ and it's well, uh... sub-cultures(?) are something that I only really participate in online. I love the memes and the wholesomeness while avoiding the bad places as best as I can. While I tried being part of an ace-group a while ago I have found that it's not what I want since the group's focus is activism while I just want to connect with people and share experiences without, well... being an acitivist. Maybe that's just a 'me-thing' so I'm interested to know how it is for other people.

[Guest]

50/50 for me!

[Guest]

I wouldn't say I've really "participated in the community". I do have some friends who are members of that community, be it online or offline, so I picked "mostly online".

 

Quote

Only offline. (The option doesn't make that much sense to ask online you're obviously here to see it, I know XD).

That depends on whether you see AVEN as a LGBT+ space in the first place rather than an ace one first and foremost.

[Merli]

Almost only online for me. The only lgbtq+ releted things irl is when I explain things for my mom, which isn't a part of the community. 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, SilenceRadio said:

That depends on whether you see AVEN as a LGBT+ space in the first place rather than an ace one first and foremost.

Fair point! Guess I kind of assumed that it is because many aces here also happen to be part of the alphabet mafia in more than one aspect.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Phalena said:

Fair point! Guess I kind of assumed that it is because many aces here also happen to be part of the alphabet mafia in more than one aspect.

Yeah, there is a lot of overlap between the two communities, so I totally get how the connection between the two is taken for granted.

(Personally, I don't feel like I am a part of it because most pro-ace arguments don't apply to me, and I could be cis if it didn't make me feel like shit)

[SpaceDustbin]

Mostly online, though I'm not really active in any community there either. 

Once I move to a bigger city I hope to maybe move a bit more offline 

[Ceebs]

Neither really. Definitely not offline, like at all, but not really online much either.

[Gloomy]

These days mostly online, but that’s mainly because I interact with people more online than irl in general now. But I grew up with a lesbian mom who was all about having rainbow and pride stuff all around the house and many of her and her wife’s friends were also gay. Then when I was in college I tried going to this meetup thing for LGBT+ young women and hung out at gay bars and clubs with my friends, so there were times when it was more irl.

[Elsin]

Hard for me to say but that's only a concern of the definition of experience; I see others and clubs, etc., relating to LGBT communities in real life far more than I see online, as outside of Aven I don't really engage with the community much online.

[BigBassFox]

I tend to be friends with a lot of LGBTQ+ people, yesterday I also went to pride, so it is in irl life quite a lot. My sister is bisexual, and I keep up with LGBTQ+ news, despite how sad it is a lot of the time. I am also on AVEN too so that plays a role also.

[Elizabeth Bennet]

For me it is mostly offline because I happened to end up in a very queer group of people, so you get all sorts: non binary, trans folks, lesbians, gay,... I have like a separate groups of all straight women friends and... well, the rest of people that I interact with because of social requirement (jobs, family). I don't happen to interact with many straight cis men. Go figure.

Online I do engage in LGBTQIA+ conversations on Twitter now and then, but this site is my main form of online community socialising, really.

[Effect Veiler]

The only time I've encountered any other LGBT+ people was at the counselor's office I go to, pre-pandemic. Almost all of my friends elsewhere are LGBT+ though, and the few who aren't are allies.

[Deltalorian]

Mostly online. I actually met a fellow ace today when I recognised their ace ring and we talked about both our rings for a short while before going our separate ways.

[Ace_Anthropology]

I am a person whose not comfortable with social interaction, and am just getting truly comfortable with my sexuality, so most my involvement is online. 

[The Sword]

[Lysandre, the Star-Crossed]

Other than spending time on AVEN and at gay bars I'm not really intentional about hanging around LGBT+ people, but nonetheless I seem to be a magnet for folks who are

 

[Milque Toast]

For me it is generally a lot online. I refer a lot to the "little gay people in my phone" considering I am in a discord server where basically everyone on there is queer by coincidence, and all my feed on social media will almost always involve something queer (and not just because it's pride month). 

I know a few LGBTQ+ people in real life, like my sibling who is non-binary (and I'm pretty sure bisexual but haven't come out- not that they have to)

my qp girlfriend is trans and ace like me ❤️

and there's a trans boy in my year at school but we don't know each other very well

 

but yeah, irl, I honestly don't see a lot of LGBTQ+ stuff or people or anything, so I just fill that void with everything I can possibly find online.

It's funny now that I think about it. A lot of my life revolves around being gay, queer, trans, aroace, etc. and yet none of that really seems to leave my online life.

[Blueberry Pie]

I have a fair mix of both online and offline interactions.

 

 I spend a lot of time on here, which I personally consider a LGBTQIA+ space.

 

I just went to a pride festival and parade today, and I will be going to a pride after party later.

 

When I was in high school, I was an active participant in a LGBTQIA+ club and ended up becoming the club president.

 

I used to be an active participant in an ace Discord server, but it was full of 14 year olds, and no offense to them, but I just couldn’t take their antics anymore.

 

I go to my university’s LGBTQIA+ club sometimes, though not as much as the club in high school because I’m a commuter student. It can be inconvenient to commute home in the dark.

 

A large handful of my friends are openly queer.

 

One of my parents is gay.

[Guest]

My life only exists online

[Guest]

Your mom only exists onine 

 

ooh burn!

[Guest]

people don't like your mom jokes or that's what she said jokes anymore. 

[vin3g4r]

I replied "mostly online". Some of my friends are part of the community and sometimes we talk about it (one of them is also asexual but we rarely talk these days), but I live most of this experience online since only very few people know I'm ace and I still want to connect with other aspec people.

[gndrqrd]

Mostly online, because I grew up in a small town and then moved to a city where the LGBT sucks for a lot of reasons. I'm starting to actually hang out with trans people irl tho so I'm really excited about that!! Just have to drive an hour to see them.

[TheSmolFoxWeeb]

It's mostly online, but I have some LGBTQIA+ friends and cousins

[Guest]

Mostly online for me, as my mental health is a barrier to many things offline.

[iff]

@Phalena

 

This poll is being locked and moved to the read only Census archive for it's respective year. As part of ongoing Census organisation, and in an attempt to keep the demographics of the polls current with the active user base at the time, the polls will last for one year from now on. However, members are allowed and even encouraged to restart new polls similar to the archived ones if they like them.

  

iff, Census Forum Moderator